Senior second baseman Ally Spellman knows Butler must stay focused on its goal of a state softball championship.

But these Bulldogs have climbed out of the muck and gained traction with superb pitching, timely offense and reliable glove work — and now have placed themselves on the precipice of a truly special achievement.

Butler will play for its first state softball title when it takes on New Egypt in the Group 1 final today at 10:30 a.m. at Toms River East High School.

"We've traveled a long, long way and I'm very proud of what our entire team has been able to accomplish in a short amount of time," senior second baseman Ally Spellman said.

"We know we are on the verge of something that's never been done before here. But we've just got to stay focused on what's in front of us and keep working hard and plugging away at our ultimate goal."

Spellman, along with first baseman Brianne Lipinski and left fielder Wendy Maurer, are four-year starters and were freshmen in 2011 when the Bulldogs went 11-12 and then followed it with an 8-14 sophomore season.

Last year, Butler began the road back respectability with an 18-8 mark, helped by the emergence of Ally Spellman's sister, Larissa, as a freshman pitching sensation.

Butler is 27-3 this season and earned its first Morris County tournament finals appearance (a 3-1 loss to Morris Knolls) and tied Pequannock for the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Liberty Division championship.

The Bulldogs have been dominant since early April, starting with a six-game winning streak before a 1-0 loss to Sussex Vo-Tech.

Then came 11 wins in a row before a 2-0 loss to archrival Pequannock, a team Butler had beaten for the first time in a dozen years earlier in the season.

Butler now has ripped off eight straight wins and Larissa Spellman is one of two pitchers (with Ally Frei of High Point) who have complete-game shutouts in all five of their state tournament victories.

"No one looks at the schedule before the season and sees 'Butler' and marks it down as an automatic win anymore," Maurer said. "We know we can at least compete with every team that we play, no matter the reputation or the enormity of the game. We've definitely earned some respect."

Brittany Marion, in her ninth year as head coach and 11th overall, has presided over the Butler transformation.

"It's hard to describe or fathom but this has truly been a dream-like season," Marion said. "We just want to keep the magic going for one more game — we know we are facing a very tough opponent but all of our girls are confident in their abilities to get it done, too."